Neoconservatism: The Biography of a Movement

On this companion website, you will find information about the book, reviews, useful links, and a number of original documents relating to the history of neoconservatism of America. Each of these documents are referenced in footnotes in the book. None of them can be reproduced without the prior consent of the copyright owner.

1. Book launch

On May 13, 2010, the Brookings Institution hosted an event entitled "Neoconservatism and the Future of American Foreign Policy" to launch the book.
EJ Dionne (Washington Post), Francis Fukuyama (Johns Hopkins - SAIS) and Bill Kristol (The Weekly Standard) offered their views on the book and the issue. The event was introduced by Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution.
You can access the audio recording of the event and the full transcript here.
You can also watch the video of the full event on Book TV (C-SPAN 2). The book launch was accompanied by the release of a policy paper I wrote, entitled "Why Neoconservatism Still Matters."

Bill Kristol, Justin Vaïsse and EJ Dionne

Francis Fukuyama, Bill Kristol and Justin Vaïsse

You can also watch the second book presentation at the Woodrow Wilson Center on June 7, 2010, with author James Mann and historian Sam Wells offering comments, followed by a Q&A session.

2. Links to some reviews of the book

All commentaries and reviews of Neoconservatism (one of the “books of the year 2010” for the Financial Times and the Toronto Globe and Mail) **are gathered here** .

”Just as sunlight is the best disinfectant, so the best response to myths and rumors about neoconservatism is the actual history of neoconservatism. That is what Justin Vaïsse provides in his very intelligent and well-researched new book.”

”Justin Vaisse, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, has written a book on neoconservatism that is thoughtful and well-informed. Mirabile dictu! … In a crowded field, Vaisse has written a fine primer, judicious, thorough and sure-footed.”

”It is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the contours of our recent political past. Vaïsse is a historian of ideas. “Neoconservatism” demonstrates, among other things, that ideas really do make a difference in our lives.”

”A major virtue of Mr. Vaisse's painstakingly clear and beautifully executed narrative is its intellectually scrupulous tone: no malice; no abrasive score-settling. The author seeks neither to exalt nor vilify his subjects. He wants to understand, what with the names and deeds of the neocons ringing daily in all ears, their voices soaring above the rumble of discourse.”

16. Dinners and ceremonies organized by the CDM in support of Communist dissidents (1975-1980) and an original invitation to a “Human Rights dinner” in New York to nominate the Soviet Helsinki monitors for the 1978 Nobel prize (30 September 1978)

1972:
Scoop Jackson and Hubert Humphrey for the primaries, then divided between McGovern and Nixon (mostly Nixon)

Second age of neoconservatism:

The Scoop Jackson Democrats

Reaction to George McGovern and the “New Politics”; attempt to move Democratic Party back to center. Opposition to détente and isolationism. Failure to take party back and migration to Reagan right in 1980